1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for wireless communication between a peripheral device and a host computer system (host system), and more particularly relates to a method and a system for establishing a secure connection between one or more wireless peripheral device and one or more host systems.
2. Background of the Invention
Numerous methods for connection of peripherals to host systems, e.g., personal computers and workstations are known in the art. For example, corded peripherals, or peripherals connected to host systems using a cable or corded connection through either an industry standard serial (RS-232) or parallel port, are known in the art. As known to one of skill in the art, RS-232 stands for “recommended standard-232C,” a standard interface approved by the Electronic Industries Alliance for connecting serial devices. This method, although effective in many circumstances, suffers from certain limitations. One limitation is the restriction on the user's freedom of movement. A second limitation is that host systems have only a limited number of available ports, and thus can only support a limited number of peripheral devices. Another limitation is the clutter and complexity that having a large number of wires or cables brings. An increasing number of peripherals are being connected to host systems bringing a proportional increase in clutter and confusion from the mass of wiring required to connect multiple corded peripherals to a host system. Thus, there has been a need for cordless peripherals.
Cordless peripherals are also known in the art. A common approach uses infrared (“IR”) transmissions to connect a peripheral device with a host system. Remote control devices used with modem home electronics such as a television, videocassette recorder or stereo is an example of cordless communication between a peripheral and a host system using infrared signals. While solving some of the limitations of corded peripherals, cordless transmission systems using infrared signals have the limitation of the transmitting peripheral must be aligned with the host system, therefore, obstacles in the line of sight path between the peripheral and the host can hinder a transmission. This limitation makes infrared-based communications unworkable when it is difficult to keep a given peripheral in alignment with the host system.
More recently, other wireless devices have been introduced. For example, cordless peripheral devices, which connect with host systems through radio frequency (“RF”) transmission systems, are known in the art. RF technology allows cordless communications between a peripheral and a host system without concern for alignment or obstacles, which could impede infrared communications. While both IR and RF devices have been effective in providing cordless communication between a single peripheral and an associated host, these devices, which generally use a conventional system of identifiers (e.g., Short_ID) to try to ensure data privacy, are vulnerable to interference with configurations in which multiple peripherals wirelessly connect to single or multiple host systems. Such interference can simply be coincidental, a host system might erroneously recognize an unrelated peripheral as an authentic peripheral, or may be intentional in the form of malicious eavesdropping.
Thus, there is a need for a communication device, which would permit elimination of cabled or wired connections between a peripheral and a host system, while providing a secure connection that allows one or more cordless, or wireless peripherals to securely communicate with one or more hosts systems that associated with that wireless peripherals communicate with that host system.